Heading into just its fourth year of existence, the UW women’s ice-hockey program is already one of the most highly touted and respected in the country.

The No. 6-ranked Badgers were back on the ice this past weekend, playing host to No. 9 Northeastern. Wisconsin’s senior-stacked line-up, which includes star defenseman Kerry Weiland, was able to manufacture victories in each of the two contests but plans on tallying up many more Ws before season’s end.

“We have very high expectations for ourselves; we want to do a lot of things, but ultimately we want to win a NCAA championship,” Weiland said. “We know there’s a lot of things we need to do before then … like just getting Ds on coverage and things like that down to pat.”

Weiland, who has been with the team since its inaugural season, will serve as the backbone of this year’s experienced, yet still hungry, UW women’s hockey team.

Last season, she ranked sixth in scoring among WCHA defenders and guided the Badgers to a 22-11-2 regular-season record, earning her First Team All-America honors (the first such UW women’s hockey player ever to do so) and a host of other awards.

Weiland (better known as “Monkey” to her teammates) appreciates the individual recognition; however, she still desires the ultimate team accolade: a National Championship trophy.

“It’s an honor [being named First Team All-America] … it will always be in the record books, and I’m proud of that. It was a lot of hard work, and just the fact that the coaches across the nation recognize your ability is a great thing,” Weiland said. “But I’m here to win a championship … I want a team trophy.”

A NCAA National Championship is not the only thing on Weiland’s mind, however. The Alaska native was recently selected to skate alongside some of the best women’s hockey players the United States has to offer.

The 2002 U.S. Women’s Select team, which includes Team USA’s all-time leading scorer Cammi Granato and a host of other Olympic medallists, will travel to Kitchener, Ontario Nov. 6-10 to compete in the 2002 Four Nations Cup.

Weiland appreciates being selected and is anxious to compete against the best Canada, Finland and Sweden have to offer.

“I’ll be getting my first experience at international play … it’s a great honor that I’ll get to wear a U.S. jersey and represent my country,” Weiland said. “Also, (Badger defender) Carla MacLeod just got selected to Canada’s select team. So we’ll get to play against each other when we play Canada.”

Although Weiland is obviously busy playing hockey nationally and abroad, she still finds time to excel in the classroom, too. Each of the last two seasons she has not only been named Academic All-Big Ten, but has been a WCHA all-academic pick as well.

For many students, finding time to hit the books seems to be a daily struggle, but Weiland seems to have mastered the task of budgeting her time.

“It’s a lot of hard work. Your social life is kind of on the back burner a lot of times. But I never really do anything half way; if I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it all out. If I’m going to go to school, I’m going to learn a lot. UW’s helped me pay for it on scholarship, but I’m going to take full advantage of it,” Weiland stated. “I know I’m not going to go pro. Unfortunately, women’s hockey doesn’t have that opportunity. So you’ve gotta get your education while you have it.”

Equipped with a degree and a hard-working attitude, Weiland plans on continuing to play the game she loves after graduation.

“I’m going to see where USA hockey goes this year with the Four Nations Cup. There’s an evaluation in December, and you can get picked to go to Beijing for the World Championships in April,” Weiland said. “We’ll see where that goes. Otherwise, there are places to go … you can play in Switzerland and Sweden or even Canada.”

Whether or not her playing days are through after her Badger career is over, Kerry “Monkey” Weiland will always be remembered as one of the founding bricks in a women’s hockey powerhouse.

And don’t be surprised if at season’s end she has solidified her legacy by bringing home to UW its first national championship.